Messier 61

Last updated
Messier 61 [1]
A hungry starburst galaxy.jpg
Image taken by Hubble Space Telescope, April 28, 2014 [2]
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA. Acknowledgement: Det58
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation Virgo
Right ascension 12h 21m 54.9s [3]
Declination +04° 28′ 25″ [3]
Redshift 0.005224±0.000007 [3]
Heliocentric radial velocity 1566±2 km/s [3]
Galactocentric velocity1483±4 km/s [3]
Distance 52.5 ± 2.3  Mly (16.10 ± 0.71  Mpc)
Apparent magnitude  (V)9.7 [4]
Characteristics
Type SAB(rs)bc, [3] HIISy2 [3]
Apparent size  (V)6.5 × 5.8 arcmin [3]
Other designations
NGC 4303, [3] UGC 07420, [3] PGC 040001, [3]
MCG +01-32-022, [3] GC 2878
References: SIMBAD: Search M61

Messier 61 (also known as M61 or NGC 4303) is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy in the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It was first discovered by Barnaba Oriani on May 5, 1779, six days before Charles Messier discovered the same galaxy. Messier had observed it on the same night as Oriani but had mistaken it for a comet. [5] Its distance has been estimated to be 45.61 million light years from the Milky Way Galaxy. It is a member of the M61 Group of galaxies, which is a member of the Virgo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster. [6]

Contents

Properties

M61 is one of the largest members of Virgo Cluster, and belongs to a smaller subgroup known as the S Cloud. [7] [8] The morphological classification of SAB(rs)bc [3] indicates a weakly-barred spiral (SAB) with the suggestion of a ring structure (rs) and moderate to loosely wound spiral arms. [9] It has an active galactic nucleus [10] and is classified as a starburst galaxy containing a massive nuclear star cluster with an estimated mass of 105 solar masses and an age of 4 million years, [11] as well as a central candidate supermassive black hole weighing around 5×106 M☉ solar masses. [12] It cohabits with an older massive star cluster as well as a likely older starburst. [11] Evidence of significant star formation and active bright nebulae appears across M61's disk. [13] Unlike most late-type spiral galaxies within the Virgo Cluster, M61 shows an unusual abundance of neutral hydrogen (H I). [14]

Extragalactic supernovae

Eight extragalactic supernovae have so far been observed in M61, making it one of the most prodigious galaxies for such cataclysmic events. [15] [16] [5] These include: SN 1926A (type II-K, mag. 14), [16] SN 1961I (Type II, mag. 13), [16] SN 1964F (Type II, mag. 14), [17] SN 1999gn (Type II, mag. 16), [18] SN 2006ov (Type II, mag. 14.9), [19] SN 2008in (Type II, mag. 14.9), [20] SN 2014dt (type Ia-pec, mag. 13.6), [21] and SN 2020jfo (Type II, mag. 16). [22] [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messier 90</span> Galaxy in the constellation Virgo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messier 108</span> Galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3310</span> Galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4536</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo

NGC 4536 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo located about 10° south of the midpoint of the Virgo cluster. However, it is not considered a member of the cluster. Rather, it is a member of the M61 Group of galaxies, which is a member of the Virgo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster. The morphological classification in the De Vaucouleurs system is SAB(rs)bc, which indicates it is a weakly barred spiral galaxy with a hint of an inner ring structure plus moderate to loosely wound arms. It does not have a classical bulge around the nucleus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4639</span> Galaxy in the constellation Virgo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 1313</span> Galaxy in the constellation Reticulum

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4666</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4651</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 922</span> Peculiar galaxy in the constellation Fornax

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4527</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo

NGC 4527 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It is a member of the M61 Group of galaxies, which is a member of the Virgo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4647</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo

NGC 4647 is an intermediate spiral galaxy estimated to be around 63 million light-years away in the constellation of Virgo. It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on March 15, 1784. NGC 4647 is listed along with Messier 60 as being part of a pair of galaxies called Arp 116; their designation in Halton Arp's Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies. The galaxy is located on the outskirts of the Virgo Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 6951</span> Galaxy in the constellation Cepheus

NGC 6951 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Cepheus. It is located at a distance of about 75 million light-years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 6951 is about 100,000 light-years across. It was discovered by Jérôme Eugène Coggia in 1877 and independently by Lewis Swift in 1878.

References

  1. ↑ Tschöke, D.; Hensler, G.; Junkes, N. (2000). "X-rays from the barred galaxy NGC 4303". Astronomy and Astrophysics . 360 (2): 447–456. arXiv: astro-ph/0006361 . Bibcode:2000A&A...360..447T.
  2. ↑ "A hungry starburst galaxy". ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for M 61. Retrieved 2006-11-18.
  4. ↑ "Messier 61". SEDS Messier Catalog. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Messier 61". Archived from the original on 2017-01-06. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  6. ↑ "The Virgo III Groups". Atlas of the Universe. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
  7. ↑ "Galaxy On Line Database Milano Network (GOLDMine)". Archived from the original on 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  8. ↑ "The Virgo Cluster" . Retrieved 2013-04-06.
  9. ↑ de Vaucouleurs, Gérard (April 1963). "Revised Classification of 1500 Bright Galaxies". Astrophysical Journal Supplement. 8: 31. Bibcode:1963ApJS....8...31D. doi:10.1086/190084.
  10. ↑ Jiménez-Bailón, E.; Santos-Lleó, M.; Mas-Hesse, J. M.; Guainazzi, M.; Colina, L.; Cerviño, M.; González Delgado, Rosa M. (2003). "Nuclear Activity and Massive Star Formation in the Low-Luminosity Active Galactic Nucleus NGC 4303: Chandra X-Ray Observations". The Astrophysical Journal . 593 (1): 127–141. arXiv: astro-ph/0304465 . Bibcode:2003ApJ...593..127J. doi:10.1086/376554. S2CID   12969809.
  11. 1 2 Colina, L.; Gonzalez Delgado, R.; Mas-Hesse, J. Miguel; Leitherer, C.; Jimenez Bailon, E. (2002). "Detection of a Super-Star Cluster as the Ionizing Source in the Low-Luminosity Active Galactic Nucleus NGC 4303". The Astrophysical Journal . 579 (2): 545–553. Bibcode:2002ApJ...579..545C. doi: 10.1086/342839 . hdl: 10261/191615 .
  12. ↑ Pastorini, G.; Marconi, A.; Capetti, A.; Axon, D. J.; Alonso-Herrero, A.; Atkinson, J.; Batcheldor, D.; Carollo, C. M.; Collett, J.; Dressel, L.; Hughes, M. A.; Macchetto, D.; Maciejewski, W.; Sparks, W.; van der Marel, R. (2007). "Supermassive black holes in the Sbc spiral galaxies NGC 3310, NGC 4303 and NGC 4258". Astronomy and Astrophysics . 469 (2): 405–423. arXiv: astro-ph/0703149 . Bibcode:2007A&A...469..405P. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20066784. S2CID   849621.
  13. ↑ Koopmann, R.; Kenney, J. D. P. (2004). "Hα Morphologies and Environmental Effects in Virgo Cluster Spiral Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 613 (2): 866–885. arXiv: astro-ph/0406243 . Bibcode:2004ApJ...613..866K. doi:10.1086/423191. S2CID   17519217.
  14. ↑ Kenney, J. D.; Young, J. S. (1986). "CO in H I-deficient Virgo cluster spiral galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal Letters . 301: L13–L17. Bibcode:1986ApJ...301L..13K. doi: 10.1086/184614 .
  15. ↑ Supernovae which have been observed in Messier catalog galaxies
  16. 1 2 3 "List of Supernovae". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . Retrieved 2011-07-03.
  17. ↑ Transient Name Server entry for SN 1964F. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  18. ↑ Transient Name Server entry for SN 1999gn. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  19. ↑ Transient Name Server entry for SN 2006ov. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  20. ↑ Transient Name Server entry for SN 2008in. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  21. ↑ Transient Name Server entry for SN 2014dt. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  22. ↑ "SN 2020jfo". Transient Name Server. IAU . Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  23. ↑ Boffi, F.R.; Sparks, W.B.; Macchetto, F.D. (1999). "A search for candidate light echoes: Photometry of supernova environments". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series . 138 (2): 253–266. arXiv: astro-ph/9906206 . Bibcode:1999A&AS..138..253B. doi:10.1051/aas:1999274. S2CID   17688690.
  24. ↑ "A portrait of a beauty". www.eso.org. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
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